Category: Craft Beer

Much could be said about Renton. It’s not quite the eastside, it’s nothing like Seattle; and it doesn’t have much in common with Kent and further south. It seems to be the forgotten city in the Seattle area. But I am here to tell you that there is a wonderful beer drinking scene that is emerging in this underrated city and I am here to help you.

To make things easier, I’ve created 4 categories of drinking. We have Craft Beer, Dive Bars, Specialty Bars, and Date Night. I do this cause everyone has a different idea how they want to drink, people who frequent dive bars and want a cheap Coors want nothing to do with a craft beer bar… and that’s just life.

First we start with.

Craft Beer Bars

Brewmasters Taproom – The jewel of craft beer in Renton. The beer drinking community is becoming quite smitten with this bar as it features 24 rotating taps, a wide variety of bottles and cans, and a fun atmosphere. Owner Marley has built a family of friends among her regulars. Highly recommended if you are a craft beer lover.

Four Generals Brewing – The only brewery in Renton, and known to put out some outstanding lagers and lighter beers. The Brewing Network recently did a piece on this brewery – as they continue to get more love in the brewery community. Located in the old city hall, ask nicely and you might be able to visit the old jail cell. A good stop.

Local 907 – Craft beer bar and restaurant, this establishment offers traditional bar food plus a good size craft beer list. A good place to stop before a night of drinking to get a good burger and a few beers. They also have darts, pool and buck hunter for those who like to be entertained.

The Brick Pub and Grill – The unsung hero of the highlands, the Brick boasts a great menu with a solid selection of craft beer. This is a great spot for those who are looking for something off the beaten path of downtown Renton.

Dog and Pony Alehouse – Famously known for being on Restaurant: Impossible, the DnP is a local hangout Boeing employees. Boasting a wide variety of local craft beers and a menu that features my favorite fish and chips in Renton, a good spot in the North Renton neighborhood.

Whistle Stop – Advertised as a “Your neighborhood family pub”, the Whistle Stop has a great food menu and a quality craft beer selection. They always have a cask beer on tap to keep things interesting. Whistle Stop often has brewers nights also for those looking to try to breweries from around the northwest.

Trenchers – Originally the site of World of Beer, Trenchers as undergone a lot of change in the past years. While they have pulled back on the craft beer and have focused more on their food menu, you can still find quality beer and slightly higher than average prices.

There came a time recently where WABL journey needed to explore, to sail into the sunset and discover new breweries. So we set a course and headed north towards the great unknown, when we noticed something ominous on the horizon, a swirling vortex, and before we knew it, we found ourselves caught in the grips of the Maelstorm.

On July 13, 2017, Maelstorm Brewing finally opened their doors in Kirkland. A project that has been brewing since owner and head brewer, Scott developed a love of beer. The newest kid on the WABL block, has a welcoming tap room with roll up doors and an outdoor seating area for those sunny Kirkland afternoons. The central location in Kirkland is perfect for meeting up with our friends on the north end of the lake. I would recommend getting a sampler tray at least once, if for no other reason, to admire the custom sampler trays.

Finally, for the real reason that everyone is here, the contents of those sampler trays. Maelstorm specializes in traditional craft beers. Matt and I tried the Petra Kolsh, the Pale, and the Anodyne IPA. I really liked the IPA, a traditional west coast IPA. Matt was a big fan of the Kolsh, very light and refreshing on a summer day, or when you are in the mood for a lighter beer. The pale had a maltier body giving it a fuller mouth feel, one of our friends left the brewery raving about this one.

After weeks apart, our brave WABL journeymen came together to brave a new terrain. Samwise and I loaded up the war wagon (Fiat) for a long mission (overnight). Upon our journey home, we had to stop for sustenance. We found ourselves peering over a vast ocean, an ocean of beer.

Wet Coast is quickly becoming one of my favorite breweries in this great state of Washington. It may not get the publicity of a Fremont or Cloudburst, but the beer is equal if not better. In a strip mall off of highway 16, the brewery is has a classic feel that you come to expect. Operating on a 3.5 barrel system, Wet Coast is able to keep 8 beers plus a cider on tap at all times. When our journey took us near this brewery, I knew it was a must stop.

If you can get there now, I highly suggest their triple IPA. When you think of IPAs, especially triples, you think hoppy and boozy. But, this triple has a sweet finish that can be incredibly dangerous. If you’re looking for that stronger IPA flavor, they have an imperial IPA for you. If you are looking for something on the lighter side, the Pale, Cream, and IPA will all satisfy.

There are very few breweries I can recommend more that Wet Coast. Child friendly, cool swag and a friendly vibe should be a reason alone, but the beer is easily one of the top 10 in Washington.

There are times in life when you just want something basic. Something average. Something standard. But not on this journey, we demand the best and when it comes to Standard Brewing, only the name is standard.

Located on Jackson Ave in Seattle in a renovated house, Standard Brewery boosts a fantastic outside drinking area. That is mostly due to the fact that the inside of the brewery is pretty small. But the outside has several heaters, partially undercover and has a great craft brewery feel to it.

Standard has come a long way in the past few years. When I first visited, they had a very small selection but in the last year, they have put a lot of time, effort and money to expanding their brewery and now they have 10 or so different types of beers on tap.

One of the first things I like to do when I visit breweries is taste their lighter beers and I do this for a reason. Dark beers, while delicious, have such a rich and dominating body that it is difficult to taste any imperfections in the beer. But when you taste their lighter beers, it is much more difficult to hid any problems. You can taste the body, the hops, smell the aroma. Get a really good feel for the talent of the brewery. And when you go to Standard, you’ll notice that the brewery has tremendous talent.

I highly recommend the Mosaic Single Hop, the Jerry of the Day and if they still have it, their Wet Hopped Pale Ale. All of them blend the hops and malt together perfectly to create a well balanced beer. Especially the Jerry of the Day if you love those the tropical flavor of Azacca and Simcoe hops.

Standard also has a West Coast IPA (tropical and light), CDA (piney), and Rye IPA (dank and rye). And these are the ones that I’ve had. Standard has such a diverse selection there is a beer for anyone who wants to visit.

If you want something more than standard, visit Standard Brewery. You wont be disappointed. Just make sure to bring a jacket.

Welcome to Georgetown, Lowercase Brewing! After a few months of getting permits and fighting the bureaucracy that is Seattle it is wonderful to see your beautiful doors open once again. No journey is ever complete without visiting the nice folks at Lowercase Brewing.

Starting off in South Park area of Seattle, Lowercase made the long and arduous trek all the way to Georgetown and moved into an old welding building. And I know what you’re thinking, “Old welding building?!? Awesome!” and it is! Roll up doors, large outdoor seating area with incandescent lights hanging and wood accents all throughout the brewery.

The beer itself is very traditional. As in, when you order a beer from them, expect it to taste like you think that style should be. Their ESB tastes like an ESB, their pale taste like a pale. Which is wonderful because you know exactly what you’re going to get and if you enjoy a certain style, you’re going to love their beer.

Also, get the shandy. It’s probably my favorite. They carbonate their lemonade/limeade so when you combine it with either their pale or Mexican lager you’re going to get a refreshing low alcohol beer with POP!

Wonderful brewery, with wonderful beer. Head to Georgetown and have a fun night. The brewery is on airport way, just south of all the bars and restaurants in that area.

As someone who has Nordic blood flowing through my veins, I’ve always felt a close kinship to my Viking brethren. Someday, a long time from now, I wish to enter the halls of Valhalla and with my fellow Vikings drink a truly wonderful beer, Triplehorn.

As you enter Triplehorn brewery in Woodinville you are in awe of the “brewery feel” of this place. You see large tanks holding soon to be delicious beer. You’re always greeted by a friendly dog (A must in my eyes). And in front of you as you step up to the bar is a myriad number of wonderful Washington craft Triplehorn beers. I’ve had a lot of Triplehorn in my life, and can you blame me? They’re fantastic. Anyone who has ever been to the Washington brewerfest knows that Triplehorn is always a must to visit. And this last year, they took 1st place is popularity. So you know they are doing something right.

I feel like I am running out of words to describe the deliciousness of Triplehorn beers. Amazing, fantastic, orgamsmic, fantastic. All of them cannot do justice. It is few and far between you meet someone who has had Triplehorn and doesn’t love it. Be it their Landwink IPA, Falcon Cloak Golden Blonde, or the numerous seasonal beers they create, they are all mind-blowing.

I know in the past, I would list which beers are the best and a brief bio of that beer and their taste profiles. But no. Just visit. And if you’re with someone who doesn’t like beer there is a boat load of wineries right next to it. Stop reading and go!

To be perfectly honest, its actually been a little while since Matt and I went to Seapine together, but I am trying to update this blog a little more often and when I was flipping through untappd, I noticed Seapine. I couldnt recall if we had written this one up, after a quick search, it appears that we have not. This is a problem for me because I ADORE Seapine.

Seapine is a wonderful brewery. Located in SODO close(ish) to Safeco and Centrylink its a great place to stop off before you make your way to park near the stadiums. Matt and I have stopped in a small handful of times together and its becoming a popular location for Matt to take his beer drinking buddies before a game. The taproom has a nice big, open feel to it with some outdoor seating for those great Seattle summer days before Mariners games.

The thing that really makes Seapine special though, is the beer. Prior to our first visit to the taproom, I don’t think I’d ever had Seapine before, so I went with a sampler. This brewery makes beer I like. The Seapine IPA is a great flagship IPA, its light and smooth with some bitterness at the end, but not overwhelming. The Mosaic Pale is everything I want a pale to be. Its very similar to an IPA with a much milder hop profile. The Peach Gose is especially refreshing, and one of my favorite beers to find on tap. I really like when breweries have a sour on tap because 1. I love sours and 2. they are usually a little lighter on the alcohol content (though in this case, the Mosaic Pale is comparable) which is nice if you are heading somewhere after.

In my mind, the absolute best beer that Seapine makes is the Positron IPA. If you listen to our podcast you may remember our episode about IPA’s, and our ranking our top 5. Positron is currently my #1 IPA. It is a single hop (Galaxy) IPA with the most tropical notes I’ve ever had in an IPA. It really is the most delightful IPA. Since we have growlers coming out of our ears at home, Matt and I have a general rule not to purchase any more. I broke this rule the first time we went to Seapine because I needed to bring the Positron IPA home with me. Try it, you won’t be disappointed.